better nights with butternut squash lasagna

As the nights warm up, so does your schedule. No time to cook a healthy meal while the sun is still up. Enjoy the spring weather with your family and friends by prepping this veggie lasagna dish up to two days before. Pop in the oven. Bake. Serve with a baby spinach salad, a glass of pinot and sit around your outdoor table while taking in the last nights before bug spray and citronella candles. Butter me up, it’s springtime in Texas.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

1 butternut squash

No-boil lasagna noodles

2 c ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1 3/4 c Parmesan cheese, grated

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. black pepper

1. Trim 1/4-inch off the top and bottom of the butternut squash. Pierced with fork, wrap in wet paper towel and microwave for 10 minutes to soften the outer shell. Use a vegetable peeler to remove outer shell, cut in half, remove seeds and cube. *

2. In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Cook squash until tender with a fork. Drain.

3. Using an electric mixer or food processor, blend together squash, eggs, ricotta, 3/4 c Parmesan, garlic, salt and pepper.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Place a layer of lasagna noodles on bottom. Using a spatula, spread a layer of squash and cheese puree over noodles. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Repeat until noodles reach the top of the baking dish. Bake for 1 hour.

*Feel free to roast the butternut squash seeds like pumpkin seeds. Recipe.

Garden dog, Betsy Leigh Baker.”

 

 

cauliflower calling

Bread crumbs from my garden to my kitchen countertop.”

As my winter garden nears the autumn of its garden life span, I start to long for spring vegetables with new flavors. To get out of my over-veg funk I started researching new ways to cook old favorites. A little cauliflower calling shook up my dinner and my chicken cutlets too.

Cauliflower Breaded Chicken 

1 lb. chicken tenders

2 c cauliflower florets

1/4 c EVOO

1 egg

1/4 c buttermilk

1 clove of garlic, minced

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using a food processor, minced cauliflower. Spread out on non-stick baking sheet for one hour, turning every 15 minutes. Put aside in medium bowl.

2. Turn oven up to 425 degrees. Beat egg and buttermilk together. Add minced garlic, salt and pepper.

3. Coat non-stick baking sheet with EVOO. Dredge chicken in egg mixture then cauliflower crumbs and place on baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Recipe modified from Mom Foodie.

#tbt travelstyle: unBELIZEable

#throwbackthursday travel to an unBELIZEable vacation with my family and fiancé. From snorkeling with dolphins to shopping in straw markets to discovering a hidden restaurant, we made the most out of our 8 hour adventure in the country of Belize. You better BELIZE it!

beachside bliss on a small island getaway. Look at that #StarfishLove

snorkel before. hey dolphin following our boat. snorkel after.

a few of my favorite things. Baker’s, Beers and one hot Babe. We always ask for local beers and Belize had an amazing collection. Lighthouse Lager & Belikin, known as the Beer of Belize.

you + me, belize at sea.

climbing for coconut. Showing off our fav sunscreen, SunBum. Seriously the best skin care. Get it. Wear it. Love it.

people and places. To Do: 1. Shop the straw market for handmade souvenirs. 2. Take a water taxi to enjoy the Belize views. 3. Drink Belikin and repeat as necessary. 4. Stop and smell the Ixora, my favorite flower found all over the Caribbean. 5. Visit St. John’s Anglican Cathedral. Constructed in 1812, it was the first church to be built in the colony of British Honduras. 6. Stroll the streets and meet the people of Belize. 7. Find hidden water alleys for breathtaking view of blue. 8. Hold something ancient. 9. Blessed by Belize beauty in all things.

trey discovered a hidden, local hangout that serves incredible food. Jerk chicken, red beans & rice, coastal potato salad, all served with the best sauces we have ever tried. Oh and of course, a few Belize brewed beers.

end the day with a water alley view and Belize hot sauce as a traditional souvenir for Trey.

our signature goodbye with a little tequila. Belize, until next time.

broccoli blues

So maybe my broccoli isn’t really blue…but almost. Old sheets shield my raised bed as my best bet to get my winter garden through this frozen, rough patch. This past winter I have been pleasantly surprised at the resilience of my plants, especially the broccoli. With temperatures below freezing, florets continue to form to fill my fridge and table. To celebrate this hardy vegetable, I paired it with baby bella mushrooms and thin slices of lemon to really highlight the earthy flavors.

Sautéed Broccoli and Mushrooms

1 bunch of broccoli, chopped into florets

1 c baby bella mushrooms, sliced

2 Tbsp. EVOO

1 lemon, thinly sliced

1 sweet bulb onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1. Over medium-high heat, sauté onions and garlic until tender. Add broccoli, mushrooms, salt and pepper and continue to cook for 3-5 minutes.

2. Squeeze lemon slices over sautéed broccoli and mushrooms before dropping in pan to cook for an additional 1-3 minutes. Serve over quinoa or with a fish protein.

to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” -audrey hepburn

pasta prelude

The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.” -Henry Ward Beecher

A few days away from one of my favorite holidays. Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, National Dog Show and an entire day to spend in the kitchen with my family. As an only child, we have some unique traditions. A turkey breast to feed the three of us, cinnamon apple slices to prep our taste buds for the pumpkin pie and my daddy’s fruit salad that takes him the entire day to cut each piece of fruit perfectly. Before I head home for the holidays to feast on homecooked favs, I decided to do a semi-homemade version of a dish from my archives. Homemade Ravioli with Chardonnay Cream Sauce is still one of my favorite meals, but hard to execute after work. This recipe rewind features store-bought Buitoni Four Cheese Ravioli, found in the refrigerated section, homemade sauce and a finishing touch of basil to give your stovetop and stomach a rest before the big day! Joyeux Thanksgiving!

Semi-Homemade Ravioli Dish

1 package of pre made ravioli

2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 sprigs of basil

Chardonnay Cream Sauce

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 c minced shallots
1 3/4 c dry chardonnay
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
3/4 c heavy cream
1/2 c of shredded Italian blend cheeses

 1. Cook ravioli as directed.

2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add butter and when foamy, add shallots and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the chardonnay, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cream and combine well. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes; the mixture will thicken slightly. Add Italian blend cheese and stir to melt.

3. Pour over drained ravioli and coat well. Finish with Parmesan cheese and basil.

pick a pepper

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When mother nature gives you peppers, make pasta.

The overwhelming harvest of cayenne peppers in my garden, not only inspired me to be a good neighbor and hand out sacks of salsa-ready peppers, but also to make one of my favorite pasta dishes. Throughout the year, I will dry the excess peppers to use as a dry ingredient I muddle up for date night dishes or spicy desserts. Tonight, I sliced, deseeded and washed the peppers before sautéing with garlic, sweet bulb onions and mushrooms to make a simple 20-minute dish that satisfied my spicy, Texas taste and cleaned out my fridge, too.

Parmesan Pepper Pasta

1 lb. spaghetti, cooked and drained

1/4 c cayenne pepper, sliced and deseeded

1/2 c baby bella mushrooms, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 sweet bulb onion, chopped

1/4 c & 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1/2 c fresh parmesan, grated

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

1. In a medium-high heat pan, sauté garlic and onions with 2 Tbsp. of  EVOO until tender with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.

2. Add pasta directly to saucepan to mix peppers and mushrooms. Coat with leftover EVOO and serve in bowl. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and garnish with minced basil, if desired.

peas, pork and peppers

Peas, pork, peppers. Peas, pork, peppers, Peas, pork, peppers. This recipe is a lot easier to cook than say three times fast. One of my favorite meals to cook with Trey is my Mom’s Green Chile Pork and Hominy dish. Wonderful for winter nights or to throw in a casserole dish after a long day. We cooked my mom’s prized pork dish this week, but had a few slices of pork as lonely leftovers from the hominy. Not wanting to make an extra trip to the store, we looked in our cupboard for a few extra ingredients to clear off the tupperware dish from the fridge shelf. A can of black-eyed peas and a walk in the garden gave us another reason to love the protein, pork.

Peas, Pork and Peppers Leftover Hash

1 lb. pork tenderloin, cooked and cubed

1 can black-eyed peas, drained

1/3 c cayenne peppers, sliced and deseeded

2 Tbsp. EVOO

1 garlic clove, minced

1 sweet bulb onion, chopped

Salt for taste

Pepper for taste

1. Over medium-high heat, sauté garlic and onions in EVOO until tender. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Add peppers and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

2. Add pork and black-eyed peas. Cover and cook for 13-15 minutes.

lambchard

What do you get when you pair lamb chops with homegrown swiss chard? Lambchard. #amiright?

But really. Usually we save our favorite protein for special occasions, but when I found 5 lamb chops in the quick sale section at our local grocery store, I grabbed them up like they were the rockstud Valentino’s at Payless. We decided to celebrate our fortuitous find with an idea I’ve had for my growing swiss chard by pairing it with our favored, hipster dish of 2012-quinoa. I’ve seen spinach and various herbs folded into quinoa before, but I’ve never tried it with swiss chard. Here’s to lamb chops, quinoa and asparagus as our fancy-for-no-reason dinner. Hope it is a meal to Chardish. #lastpunipromise

Quinoa with Swiss Chard & Radishes

1 c quinoa, rinsed

1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped with stems removed

1 c radishes, sliced

1 c water

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 sweet bulb onion, chopped

EVOO

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1.  Toast quinoa in saucepan over medium-high heat with evoo, salt and pepper for about 1 minute. Add 2 cups of water per cup of quinoa and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

2. In a separate saucepan, over medium-high heat, sauté garlic and onions with evoo, salt and pepper until soft. Add radishes and Swiss chard and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

3. Fold into cooked quinoa and let sit covered for 5 minutes.

first bites of fall

As soon as Texas weather starts to sink into the low 80s I feel like I can officially pull out my fall favorites; burlap table runners, pine cones and organic pumpkin puree. Somehow I always find a way to put a little pumpkin in everything. This time it wasn’t the pumpkin as the conversational ingredient in my Le Creuset stoneware, instead a bit of homegrown basil made me fall even more in love with that seasonal pumpkin flavor.

Pumpkin Basil Bread

2 1/2 c whole wheat flour, sifted

1 c organic pumpkin puree

2 eggs

2/3 c water

1/2 c extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cloves

1 c sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

3 Tbsp. basil, finely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

2. In a separate bowl,  mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, water and evoo. Stir in dry ingredients into puree mixture and add basil.

3. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake 40-55 minutes and let cool on a rack. Pair with a sprig of basil.

 

rubies are a girl’s best friend

Gardening has become one of my crown jewel joys. To watch something start from nothing and grow to be an edible part of my day still amazes me. Cherry tomatoes are one of my favorite rare jewels in my garden. The plant is hearty, grows tall and sometimes produces more harvest than my cayenne pepper plants. Even though I love the sweet, summer flavor, I start to get a little burnt out on the punch of red in my spinach salad or as a sugary addition to my spaghetti sauce. I started sautéing the small, but mighty ruby red cherry tomatoes with onions, garlic and a few herbs from my garden. The results led to my best bruschetta yet, delicious quinoa and a fresh, light summer side dish that pairs well with fish and other proteins. So this season, forget the bland, starch diamonds and cook with red rubies.

here’s the real ruby of the garden.